News from the Farm
March 13, 2009
Hi Folks,
News from the Farm
March 13, 2009
Hi Folks,
Its been a MOST productive week! The greenhouse plantings are coming along nicely and we did some mad planting, mulching, and covering Wednesday, yesterday, and a little more this morning (while the soil was dry enough to work!). Everything outside is tucked under protective covers and we are just hoping now that we dodge any really cold temps, heavy rains, or worse - ice… Keep your fingers crossed!
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Neil spread some very “ripe” chicken poo from a neighbors farm onto our cow pasture Wednesday - and let me tell you - when the winds shift, it is - well, just pretty darn hard to describe… (The farm dogs are in doggie heaven - with all those delicious chunks to roll in and wear.)
Neil and his brother Keith noticed this week that the three heifers are starting to “bag” (means their udders are starting to grow a bit which is a sign that they might in fact be “with calve”). By Keith’s calculations, (from when the girls visited his pasture and bull…) that if they are going to calve - it will probably be in the next 3-4 weeks. He says that Texas Longhorns are especially secretive when they calve, and will keep their babies hidden away for a good while before letting them be seen - and that they get REAL protective (translation - Cindy, don’t go trying to pet any calves…). Herd animals tend to “come in” (ovulate) at about the same time - and so they should all calve around the same time too. They are always close together - and usually near the house or close to where we might be working outside, so I guess when they start disappearing from view, we’ll know that the stork has arrived! Will keep you posted!
A couple of other quickie notes…
For all you green thumbs out there:
We are now carrying an inventory of Sustainable/Organic Farm and Garden
Inputs. Here’s a catalog of items and pricing:
http://www.sandersridge.com/farm/farmsupplies.htm
I don’t usually pass along political news or information (I assume that - like me - you are already inundated with way more information then you can digest on a daily basis) but the issue outlined in a recent email to me is something I believe to be of such great importance and urgency - that I can’t NOT pass it on. Below, is a copy of the email I received yesterday from a trusted farmer/seed saver/educator - Cricket Rikata, of the Carolina farm Stewardship Association - informing us of the proposed deregulation of genetically modified crops… It has to be a really big deal for Cricket to have sent it out - believe me… (He’s not an activist)
It is my hope that you might take an opportunity to review the information and consider the consequences of not reacting to the issue with some feedback to the USDA and other (appropriate) movers and shakers…
Warm Regards,
cindy
Cindy Conti
Sanders Ridge Vineyard and Winery
Sanders Ridge Organic Farm
Certification ID #0827G by QCS of Gainesville, FL
www.sandersridge.com
2300 Sanders Ridge Lane
Boonville, NC 27011
336 677-1700
Good Folks,
The USDA is debating a proposed rule that would end all of the already too
little testing conducted before new genetically modified crops (GMO's) are
introduced. This would be the best thing to happen to Monsanto since Dan
Quayle's committee decided that GMO crops should be assumed to be safe. GMO's
have been proven to be unsafe, and the UDSA needs to hear from you to remind
them of this. The health of our planet is at stake!
Take Action Now. Go to
http://ga3.org/campaign/APHIS2 to tell the USDA that new GMO crops need more
testing, not less!!!
You may be somewhat used to getting emails about topics such as the
environmental legacy of the Bush Administration. If you are like me, it's
almost hard to keep reading them. That said, this final move by the Bush
administration is, in my opinion, likely to have the largest, most fourth
reaching impact of all. Fortunately, there is something each of you can do
about it!
So what happened? In the last days of the previous administration, the USDA
released a proposed rule on the regulatory oversight of genetically engineered
crops. Under the proposed rule, the USDA would officially drop all testing
required prior to the release of new genetically modified crops. Please note,
the testing that is currently required is woefully inadequate (currently, only a
cursory evaluation is required, and this is generally conducted and submitted by
the entity seeking approval for their project, an inherent conflict of
interest). If this proposal becomes the law of the land, it will vastly
increase the number and speed of genetically modified crops introduced to the
market, and this will make it almost impossible to maintain any varieties of
seed free from genetically modified genes.
Why is this? Genetically modified crops are more prolific than their
conventional counterparts. In fact, a study conducted by Dr. Joy Bergelson at
the University of Illinois determined that a genetically modified mustard has
pollen that is over 20 times more more likely to to successfully
pollinate a flower than it's non GMO counterpart. Active GMO corn pollen has
been detected over 5 miles from the corn plants from which it drifted. Also, as
we saw with Starlink Corn, GMO crops often produce unintended side effects,
generally in the form of mis-formed proteins. In the case of Starlink Corn,
these proteins were acutly toxic to a segment of the population. When
genetically modified soybeans were introduced into the human food chain in Great
Britan, soybean allergies immediately shot up by some 50%! (Similar data was
not tracked in other countries)
So why do I say that this policy is likely to be worse than any other
environmental legacy since then vice president Dan Quayle paved the way for the
introduction of the first GMO crops? When a mistake is made through a chemical
spill, or by dumping tons of radioactive waste on Iraqi soils in the form of
depleted uranium tipped "armor piercing" shells, or even the disaster at
Chernobyl, nature will cause these problems to shrink. Toxic messes will, over
time, dissipate. When new genes are inserted into a species and introduced to
the environment, they will spread and soon take over the species. This is the
nature of their unnatural existence. For crops that have wild counterparts,
such as mustard or bentgrass, these GMO crops will quite literally take over the
world and never let go!
--
Cricket Rakita
Saving Our Seed Project Coordinator
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
Board Member of the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association
286 Dixie Hollow
Louisa, VA 23093
phone: (540) 894-8865
web: http://www.savingourseed.org
email: cricket@savingourseed.org
